Bio

Gary Richard Whitton was born on February 4, 1959. He grew up in Florida. Information about his early life is limited, but it is known that Whitton struggled with alcohol addiction.

In March of 1989, Whitton was at a halfway house in Pensacola, Florida. He was receiving treatment for his alcohol problems. At the halfway house, he met a man named James Mauldin. The two men became friends and would sometimes see each other at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings after they left the halfway house.

Whitton had a difficult life, marked by his fight against alcoholism. His struggles with alcohol impacted his relationships and choices throughout his life. This challenge led him to seek help from various programs designed to assist people with similar issues.

Murder Story

Gary Richard Whitton murdered James Mauldin on October 10, 1990. The two men had met in March 1989 at a halfway house in Pensacola, Florida, where they were both receiving help for their alcohol problems. They saw each other occasionally after leaving the halfway house, mainly at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

On October 7, 1990, Mauldin spent the night at Whitton’s house after arriving there drunk. The next day, they drove to a bank in Destin so Mauldin could withdraw money, but the bank was closed. They returned the next day, where Mauldin closed his bank account and withdrew $1,135.88 in cash with Whitton's assistance, as Mauldin was too intoxicated to fill out the forms himself. After receiving the cash, they checked into a hotel in Destin, where Whitton provided a false license plate number when registering.

Later that night, at around 10:30 p.m., Whitton’s car was seen arriving at the hotel. He left again at approximately 12:30 a.m. The next day, Mauldin’s body was discovered by a hotel clerk. He had multiple injuries, including stab wounds and a fractured skull. An autopsy discovered that Mauldin had a blood alcohol level of 0.34 at the time of death and had no money on him except for some change.

On October 11, 1990, police questioned Whitton after the hotel clerk informed them of the false details he had provided. During the search of his home, they found a pair of boots with blood matching Mauldin's blood type. Bloodstains were also found in Whitton's car that matched Mauldin’s blood type.

While in jail awaiting trial, Whitton confessed to another inmate that he had returned to the hotel to steal Mauldin's money and had killed him because he feared that Mauldin would testify against him regarding a parole violation related to the robbery. This confession was overheard by a second inmate, who also provided a statement to the authorities.

Whitton was indicted on charges of first-degree murder and robbery on December 3, 1990. On August 4, 1992, a jury found him guilty of both charges. The jury later recommended the death penalty, and on September 10, 1992, he was sentenced to death for the murder and given a nine-year sentence for robbery.